Patents Issued in April 8, 2014
  • Patent number: 8692801
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method of detecting the position(s) where sensor(s) are activated on an interactive screen using sparse-activation compressive sensing. Sparse-activation compressive sensing makes use of the situation where the number of simultaneously activated sensors is substantially smaller than the number of sensors (nodes). Because the number of simultaneously activated sensors is substantially smaller than the number of sensors, the number of measurements required for determining which sensors are activated may also be reduced. Because fewer measurements are required when compared with full-scan techniques, less circuitry and power is required to detect the location(s) of activated sensors on an interactive screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Chenchi Luo, Milind Anil Borkar, Arthur John Redfern
  • Patent number: 8692802
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods of position calculation of a touch are described. One method obtains at a processing device touch data of a sense array, the touch data represented as multiple cells. The touch data is for a touch detected proximate the sense array. Noise may be detected on the sense array based on the touch data and a position calculation algorithm from multiple different position calculation algorithms is selected based on the detected noise. The position of the touch proximate the sense array is determined from the touch data based on the selected position calculation algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Andriy Maharyta, Vasyl Mandziy
  • Patent number: 8692803
    Abstract: An optical touch apparatus includes a light source emitting module, an optical module, a light sensing module, and a processing module. The optical module and the light sensing module are set on a first side and a second side of a surface of the optical touch apparatus. The light source emitting module sequentially emits a first light source and a second light source. A plurality of scanning lights of the second light source is uniformly distributed above the surface. The optical module receives the first light source and uniformly emits a plurality of lights. The light sensing module generates a first sensing result and a second sensing result based on the conditions of receiving the lights and scanning lights respectively. The processing module determines at least one touch point location corresponding to at least one object on the surface based on the first sensing result and the second sensing result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Raydium Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Meng-Shin Yen, William Wang, Chung-Cheng Chou
  • Patent number: 8692804
    Abstract: An optical touch system includes a substrate, a glass module, two light sources, three reflective clothes, two image sensors and a processing module. The glass module is disposed at one side of the substrate. The two light sources are respectively disposed at two terminals of the glass module. The three reflective clothes are disposed on the edges of the substrate contiguously. A touch region is formed among the three reflective clothes and the glass module for reflecting the light emitted from the two light sources. The two image sensors are disposed respectively next to the two light sources and used for capturing images in the touch region. The processing module is used for determining whether a touch action is performed according to the images in the touch region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Quanta Computer Inc.
    Inventors: Yu-Chi Chung, Hsin-Hung Lee, Hsu-Hung Chen
  • Patent number: 8692805
    Abstract: A coordinate input apparatus for making an input by bringing a pointing device into contact with an input area of an apparatus main body is provided, wherein the pointing device comprises: a timer configured to generate a transmission cycle by timekeeping; a detection unit configured to detect the presence/absence of an input instruction according to the presence/absence of contact of the pointing device with the input area; wherein when the detection unit detects the presence of the input instruction, and then detects the absence of the input instruction, the timer continues timekeeping of the transmission cycle during a predetermined holding period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takayuki Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 8692806
    Abstract: A touch screen including a display unit on which a plurality of icons are displayed, a touch detector operable to detect contact between a pointer and the display unit at a plurality of locations on the display unit, the plurality of locations forming a pattern that substantially surrounds more than one displayed icon, and a calculating unit to disambiguate an intended one of the plurality of icons, based on the pattern of locations that is detected by the touch detector, by determining which of the displayed icons are substantially completely surrounded, and by selecting an appropriate one of the substantially completely surrounded displayed icons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Inventor: Magnus George Goertz
  • Patent number: 8692807
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer-readable medium for determining a location of at least one object on a touch surface of a light transmissive panel. The method comprises the steps of: introducing light into the panel for propagation by internal reflection between the touch surface and an opposite surface; receiving the light propagating in the panel; and iteratively i) determining a current signal profile of light received by the light detection arrangement, ii) updating, when a condition is met, a background signal profile of light received by the light detection arrangement, iii) calculating a current compensated signal profile as a function of the background signal profile and the current signal profile and iv) determining, when the object touches the touch surface and thereby attenuates the light propagating in the panel, the location as a function of the compensated signal profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Flatfrog Laboratories AB
    Inventors: Christer Føhraeus, Tomas Christiansson, Henrik Wall, Ola Wassvik
  • Patent number: 8692808
    Abstract: A touch panel is provided. The touch panel includes a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel includes M*N sub-pixels, at least m sub-pixels each include at least one photo sensitive area and at least one effective display area, the other n sub-pixels each include only at least one effective display area, M?2, N?1, m?M, m+n=M and m?0. A first color filter film is disposed over a photo sensor of the photo sensitive area and a second color filter film is disposed over the effective display area, wherein the color of the first and second color filter films are the same at the same sub-pixel. The photo sensors at the same column of the sub-pixels are electrically connected by a signal readout line, wherein only one signal readout line is disposed at every M column of the sub-pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: AU Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Yu-Shuan Chang, Hsueh-Ying Huang, Min-Feng Chiang
  • Patent number: 8692809
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing signals received from an acoustic touch surface comprises an analog input receiving an analog input signal having a signal level. The analog input signal comprises data indicative of a touch location on a touch surface. A plurality of gain elements receive the analog input signal and output gain-adjusted analog signals. A gain selection module selects one of the gain-adjusted analog signals based on the signal level of the analog input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Henry M. D'souza
  • Patent number: 8692810
    Abstract: A method for determining the location of an impact on a surface (1) comprising N acoustic sensors (2a, 2b, 2c), transmitting a sensed signal si(t) to a processing unit (4) comprises the following steps (a) computing P intercorrelation products (b) calculating P inverse Fourier transforms p?ij (u) (c) computing for each area k, Pk(u)=?P?ij (u??ijk); d) finding k0, where a characterizing value of Pk0 (u) is greater than a given threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ros Kiri Ing
  • Patent number: 8692811
    Abstract: A vibration type touch-sensing panel includes a substrate, a plurality of vibration units, and a control module, wherein the vibration units are disposed on the substrate to form a matrix. Each one of the vibration units includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and an electret layer, wherein the first electrode layer is disposed on the substrate. The electret layer is disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer and located on one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The control module provides a driving voltage between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer so that the electret layer and one of the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer generate a relative vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
    Inventors: Chia-Chin Hsieh, Jen-Lang Tung
  • Patent number: 8692812
    Abstract: Multi-layered paint on a border of a surface acoustic wave touch device may reduce attenuation. The touch substrate has a front surface and a back surface where the front surface has a touch region. Multi-layered paint is formed on the back surface to form a border along the touch substrate. The multi-layered paint includes a minor layer and a color layer. The surface acoustic waves propagate over at least a portion of the border region such that the surface acoustic waves propagate on the multi-layered paint without excessive wave attenuation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: David S. Hecht
  • Patent number: 8692813
    Abstract: Stylus includes a first body at the front end and a second body at the back end, where the second body pivots to the first body and is capable of rotating between a straight position and a bending position. The stylus further includes a restraining member selectively moving to engage between the first body and the second body such that the stylus can be retained and formed in a straight pen style with buckling-proof capability, or a bending style for supporting a portable device. When the stylus is drawn out of the portable device, the restraining member can further be pushed forwardly to disengage the second body from the first body by a resilient bump inside the housing of the portable device, so that the stylus can be released from the straight pen style and bended accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventor: Ying-Hao Yeh
  • Patent number: 8692814
    Abstract: An electromagnetic pointer is disclosed. The electromagnetic pointer comprises a pen holder assembly, a circuit board, a metal rod, a ferrite core with coils and a trigger device. The diameter of the pen holder assembly is less than 6 mm. The circuit board comprises a resonance circuit. The metal rod has a low permeability. The ferrite core with coil constitutes an inductor and the coil electrically connects to the circuit board through a conductive wire to complete the resonance circuit. The ferrite core has a hollow center so that the metal rod can move through to trigger the trigger device and change electric properties of the resonance circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Waltop International Corporation
    Inventors: Chien-Chia Lien, Cheng-Lu Liu
  • Patent number: 8692815
    Abstract: A user interface for an audio/visual device takes measurements of a touch sensor that are indicative of the current position of a tip of a finger of a user against a touch-sensitive surface of the touch sensor on a recurring basis, maintains a predetermined quantity of those measurements in a storage accessible to a processing device implementing at least a portion of the user interface, and employs measurements taken of the touch sensor at a predetermined amount of time into the past in response to an indication of the user having exerted increased pressure against the touch-sensitive surface via the tip to determine the position of that tip at a time relatively shortly before the user began to exert the increase in pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Mark H. Deslippe, Robert Preston Parker, John Michael Sakalowsky, Santiago Carvajal
  • Patent number: 8692816
    Abstract: Described is a technology by which the operation of an auxiliary computing device, comprising a display and/or actuator set, may be automatically modified based on detected state data. For example, user input may be routed from the actuator set to the host computer system when the host computer system is in an online state, or to the auxiliary computing device when the host computer system is offline. State may be determined based on one or more various criteria, such as online or offline, laptop lid position, display orientation, current communication and/or other criteria. The auxiliary display and/or actuator set may be embedded in the host computer system, or each may be separable from it or standalone, such as a remote control or cellular phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew J. Fuller, Niels van Dongen, Michael George Lenahan
  • Patent number: 8692817
    Abstract: An organic light-emitting display device includes a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel on a substrate. Each of the first, second, and third sub-pixels includes a pixel circuit unit, a first and second pixel electrodes including a reflective film formed of a conductive material that permits light reflection, and a counter electrode that faces the first and second pixel electrodes. The first sub-pixel includes a first organic film between the counter electrode and the first and second pixel electrodes of the first sub-pixel, and includes a red light-emitting layer. The second sub-pixel includes a second organic film between the counter electrode and the first and second pixel electrodes of the second sub-pixel, and includes a green light-emitting layer. The third sub-pixel includes a third organic film between the counter electrode and the first and second pixel electrodes of the third sub-pixel, and includes a blue light-emitting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang-Min Hong
  • Patent number: 8692818
    Abstract: A driving device for a display and a display using same, and a driving method of the display are provided. The display includes a display panel on which an image is displayed, and at least one optical sensor (photodetector) to detect the intensity of ambient (external) light incident upon the display panel. An external-brightness detector outputs an external-brightness signal based on the intensity of external (ambient) light and a backlight brightness controller changes the brightness of the image displayed (or backlight) on the display panel according to the external-brightness signal. The driving device may be implemented on an integrated circuit adapted to be connected to external-light photodetectors of type 1 or of type 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Se-Byung Chae, Bo-Young An, Joo-Hyung Lee, Soon-Dong Kim, Ho-Suk Maeng, Seung-Bin Moon
  • Patent number: 8692819
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display and method for driving the liquid crystal display are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seung Hwan Moon
  • Patent number: 8692820
    Abstract: An organic light emitting display includes scan lines, row common electrodes and rows of pixels. The scan lines sequentially transmit scan signals. The row common electrodes disposed in parallel with the scan lines and sequentially transmit common voltage signals corresponding to the scan signals. The rows of the pixels are electrically coupled to the scan lines and the row common electrodes and sequentially receive the scan signals and the common voltage signals. A method for driving the organic light emitting display is also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Au Optronics Corporation
    Inventor: Chun-Yen Liu
  • Patent number: 8692821
    Abstract: A pixel capable of displaying an image with uniform brightness. The pixel includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a first transistor for controlling an amount of current that flows from a first power source to a second power source via the OLED, and a second transistor coupled between a gate electrode of the first transistor and a bias power source, and configured to be turned on when a reset signal is supplied to a reset line, wherein a turn on time of the second transistor is configured to apply the bias power source to the gate electrode of the first transistor for at least 560 ?s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seong-Il Park
  • Patent number: 8692822
    Abstract: A display controller is capable of changing a refresh rate, indicative of how often a screen displayed on a display device having a plurality of pixels is switched, between a low refresh rate of 40 Hz and a normal refresh rate of 60 Hz and generates (i) a dot clock (reference clock) serving as a timing signal indicative of a timing of operation in the display device, (ii) video data indicative of an image to be displayed on the screen, (iii) Hsync for defining a horizontal period of a display on the screen, and (vi) Vsync for defining a vertical period of the display on the screen, so as to supply the dot clock, the video data, Hsync, and Vsync to the display device, wherein the display controller includes a dot clock generation circuit for generating the reference clock whose frequency is constant without depending on a change of the refresh rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Yanagi, Takuji Miyamoto, Atsuhito Murai
  • Patent number: 8692823
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device having a pixel including a transistor and a liquid crystal element and a protection circuit electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the transistor through a data line. The protection circuit includes a first terminal supplied with a first power supply potential and a second terminal supplied with a second power supply potential higher than the first power supply potential. In a moving image display mode, an image signal is input from the data line to the liquid crystal element through the transistor, and the first power supply potential is set at the first potential. In a still image display mode, supply of the image signal is stopped, and the first power supply potential is set at the second potential. The second potential is substantially the same as the minimum value of the image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouhei Toyotaka, Hiroyuki Miyake, Ryo Arasawa, Koji Kusunoki, Tsutomu Murakawa
  • Patent number: 8692824
    Abstract: The invention discloses a driving apparatus for driving an LCD. The driving apparatus comprises a voltage control unit, an operating unit, a resistance unit, and a voltage selection unit. The operating unit comprises two sets of buffers formed by a plurality of operational amplifiers in negative feedback circuit. The two sets of buffers selectively receive positive polarity voltages and negative polarity voltages respectively. The voltage selection unit is provided with the positive polarity voltages and negative polarity voltages through the operating unit and the resistance unit. The voltage selection unit selectively provides the pixels of the LCD with the positive polarity voltage and the negative polarity voltage. Accordingly, each of the pixels is provided either with the positive polarity voltages or the negative polarity voltages by one of the two sets of buffers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Raydium Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Yong-Nien Rao, Yu-Lung Lo, Chih-Yu Lee
  • Patent number: 8692825
    Abstract: A method includes receiving at a master processing element primitive data that includes properties of a primitive. The method includes partially traversing a spatial data structure that represents a three-dimensional image to identify an internal node of the spatial data structure. The internal node represents a portion of the three-dimensional image. The method also includes selecting a slave processing element from a plurality of slave processing elements. The selected processing element is associated with the internal node. The method further includes sending the primitive data to the selected slave processing element to traverse a portion of the spatial data structure to identify a leaf node of the spatial data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric O. Mejdrich, Paul E. Schardt, Robert A. Shearer, Matthew R. Tubbs
  • Patent number: 8692826
    Abstract: Visualization frameworks may include solvers. The solvers may be used to determine the properties of view components of view compositions. In some instances, the solvers may be explicitly composed using a relational structure, such as a dependency tree. In some instances, the solvers may be implicitly composed based on property-setters having solvers invoking other property-setters having solvers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Inventors: Brian C. Beckman, David G. Green, Vijay Mital, Darryl E. Rubin
  • Patent number: 8692827
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to carving three dimensional models of buildings out of larger models of city blocks to make way for more detailed models. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method for carving a building from a first three-dimensional model is described. The first three-dimensional model may represent a city block. The three-dimensional model may include a plurality of polygons which represent one or more buildings in a three-dimensional environment. One or more polygons are identified as a portion of a roof, and roof portions that are not discontinuous are combined in roof meshes. Based on a roof mesh, a three-dimensional volume portion of a three-dimensional model is determined, which may represent a first building. The first building representation may then be carved from the three-dimensional model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Guskov, Tushar Udeshi
  • Patent number: 8692828
    Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) image processor and processing method are described. The 3D image processor includes a space division unit to divide a virtual object space where a virtual 3D object is located into a plurality of sub-spaces, and a plurality of processors to correspond to each of the divided sub-spaces and to compute a trajectory of a ray within each of the corresponding sub-spaces, the ray being transmitted into each of the corresponding sub-spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: In Woo Ha
  • Patent number: 8692829
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for computing plane equations for primitive shading after non-visible pixels are removed by z culling operations and pixel coverage has been determined. The z plane equations are computed before the plane equations for non-z primitive attributes are computed. The z plane equations are then used to perform screen-space z culling of primitives during and following rasterization. Culling of primitives is also performed based on pixel sample coverage. Consequently, primitives that have visible pixels after z culling operations reach the primitive shading unit. The non-z plane equations are only computed for geometry that is visible after the z culling operations. The primitive shading unit does not need to fetch vertex attributes from memory and does not need to compute non-z plane equations for the culled primitives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Ziyad S. Hakura, Emmett M. Kilgariff
  • Patent number: 8692830
    Abstract: A three-dimensional (“3D”) avatar can be automatically created that resembles the physical appearance of an individual captured in one or more input images or video frames. The avatar can be further customized by the individual in an editing environment and used in various applications, including but not limited to gaming, social networking and video conferencing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alex Tremain Nelson, Cédric Bray, Thomas Goossens, Rudolph van der Merwe, Richard E. Crandall, Bertrand Serlet
  • Patent number: 8692831
    Abstract: Provided is a parallel operation processing apparatus and method. The parallel operation processing apparatus and method may generate an interpolated matrix with respect to a character included in each of a current frame and a next frame using a matrix corresponding to each of the current frame and the next frame generated, based on joint information corresponding to a plurality of joints included in the character. Also, the parallel operation processing apparatus and method may display an interpolated frame using the interpolated matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Korea University of Technology and Education Industry-University Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Hyung Min Yoon, Oh Young Kwon, Byung In Yoo, Chang Mug Lee, Hyo Seok Seo
  • Patent number: 8692832
    Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing asymmetric Graphical Processing Unit (“GPU”) processors in a para-virtualized environment. A virtual GPU (“vGPU”) within a child partition of the para-virtualized environment includes a kernel-mode driver (“KMD”) and a user-mode driver (“UMD”). The KMD includes a plurality of virtual nodes. Each virtual node performs a different type of operation in parallel with other types of operations. The KMD is declared as a multi-engine GPU. The UMD schedules operations for parallel execution on the virtual nodes. A render component within a root partition of the para-virtualized environment executes GPU commands received from the vGPU at the physical GPU. A plurality of memory access channels established between the KMD and the render component communicate GPU commands between a corresponding virtual node at the KMD and the render component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Meher Prasad Malakapalli, Stuart Raymond Patrick
  • Patent number: 8692833
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that drives a display from a computer system. During operation, the system detects an idle state in a first graphics-processing unit (GPU) used to drive the display. During the idle state, the system switches from using the first GPU to using a second GPU to drive the display and places the first GPU into a low-power state, wherein the low-power state reduces a power consumption of the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ian C. Hendry, Rajabali M. Koduri
  • Patent number: 8692834
    Abstract: In some aspects, systems and methods provide for forming groupings of a plurality of independently-specified computation workloads, such as graphics processing workloads, and in a specific example, ray tracing workloads. The workloads include a scheduling key, which is one basis on which the groupings can be formed. Workloads grouped together can all execute from the same source of instructions, one or more different private data elements. Such workloads can recursively instantiate other workloads that reference the same private data elements. In some examples, the scheduling key can be used to identify a data element to be used by all the workloads of a grouping. Memory conflicts to private data elements are handled through scheduling of non-conflicted workloads or specific instructions an deferring conflicted workloads instead of locking memory locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Caustic Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Tilman Peterson, James Alexander McCombe, Steven John Clohset, Jason Rupert Redgrave
  • Patent number: 8692835
    Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus to project a projected avatar associated with an avatar in a virtual universe. A computer receives a command to project the avatar, the command having a projection point. The computer transmits a request to place a projected avatar at the projection point to a virtual universe host. The computer renders a tab associated with the projected avatar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Activision Publishing, Inc.
    Inventors: Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Brian Marshall O'Connell, Clifford Alan Pickover, Keith Raymond Walker
  • Patent number: 8692836
    Abstract: Computer systems and methods that utilize a GPU whose operation is able to switch between ECC and non-ECC memory operations on demand. The computer system includes a graphics processing unit and a memory controller and local memory that are functionally integrated with the graphics processing unit. The memory controller has at least two operating modes comprising a first memory access mode that uses error checking and correction when accessing the local memory, and a second memory access mode that does not use error checking and correction when accessing the local memory. The memory controller is further operable to switch the operation of the memory controller between the first and second memory access modes without rebooting the computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Franz Michael Schuette
  • Patent number: 8692837
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention sets forth a technique for compressing and storing display data and optionally compressing and storing cursor data in a memory that is local to a graphics processing unit to reduce the power consumed by a mobile computing device when refreshing the screen. Compressing the display data and optionally the cursor data also reduces the relative cost of the invention by reducing the size of the local memory relative to the size that would be necessary if the display data were stored locally in uncompressed form. Thus, the invention may improve mobile computing device battery life, while keeping additional costs low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Krishnan Sreenivas, Koen Bennebroek, Karthik Bhat, Stefano A. Pescador, David G. Reed, Brad W. Simeral, Edward M. Veeser
  • Patent number: 8692838
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for updating a buffer. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for updating a buffer, which includes strategically writing to the buffer to enable concurrent read and write to the buffer. The method eliminates the need for double buffering, thereby resulting in implementation cost and space savings compared to conventional buffering approaches. The method also prevents image tearing when used to update a frame buffer associated with a display, but is not limited to such applications. In another aspect, the present invention provides efficient mechanisms to enable buffer update across a communication link. In one example, the present invention provides a method for relaying timing information across a communication link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: George Alan Wiley, Brian Steele
  • Patent number: 8692839
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and systems for updating a buffer. In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for updating a buffer, which includes strategically writing to the buffer to enable concurrent read and write to the buffer. The method eliminates the need for double buffering, thereby resulting in implementation cost and space savings compared to conventional buffering approaches. The method also prevents image tearing when, used to update a frame buffer associated with a display, but is not limited to such applications. In another aspect, the present invention provides efficient mechanisms to enable buffer update across a communication link. In one example, the present invention provides a method for relaying timing information across a communication link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: George Alan Wiley, Brian Steele
  • Patent number: 8692840
    Abstract: A quality of a virtual image for a synthetic viewpoint in a 3D scene is determined. The 3D scene is acquired by texture images, and each texture image is associated with a depth image acquired by a camera arranged at a real viewpoint. A texture noise power is based on the acquired texture images and reconstructed texture images corresponding to a virtual texture image. A depth noise power is based on the depth images and reconstructed depth images corresponding to a virtual depth image. The quality of the virtual image is based on a combination of the texture noise power and the depth noise power, and the virtual image is rendered from the reconstructed texture images and the reconstructed depth images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Ngai-Man Cheung, Dong Tian, Anthony Vetro, Huifang Sun
  • Patent number: 8692841
    Abstract: A method for modifying color data in a display system is implemented using hardware circuitry. The method includes receiving first-color data associated with a first bit depth, the first-color data including a first-color data value. The method also includes receiving second-color data associated with a second bit depth that is less than the first bit depth, the second-color data including a second-color data value that corresponds to the first-color data value. The method also includes normalizing the second-color data according to the first bit depth for generating normalized second-color data. The method also includes adding an offset value to each data value of the normalized second-color data to generate offset second-color data, the offset second-color data including an offset second-color data value that corresponds to the first-color data value. The method also includes determining a modified second-color data value using the first-color data value and the offset second-color data value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Anthony Botzas
  • Patent number: 8692842
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for automatically testing a raster image processor. The method may identify the correctness of the bitmap output by the raster image processor to be tested by comparing an abstract code of a bitmap generated by the RIP to be tested with that generated by a reference RIP to determine whether they are consistent with each other, so as to identify the correctness and stability of the RIP to be tested. Furthermore, the test samples can be submitted automatically. Thus, the convenience and efficiency are improved with respect to the manual submitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignees: Peking University Founder Group Co., Ltd., Beijing Founder Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hao Lin, Zhangwei Mhng, Shuiyu Nan, Ken Chen, Genglin Huang, Yong Ji
  • Patent number: 8692843
    Abstract: Accepts inputs via an input device and displays resulting power consumption for example in a color-coded format that enables a doctor or other programmer to observe how changes in one programming parameter affects power consumption. This enables the apparatus to accept input values and display the resulting power consumption that would occur if the input values were programmed into an implantable device in an intuitive graphical manner. In one or more embodiments programming parameters associated with power consumption may be set for electrical stimulation pulses, namely the voltage amplitude, the frequency of pulses per unit time and the pulse width of the pulses in units of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Biotronik SE & Co. KG
    Inventor: Frank Bloemer
  • Patent number: 8692844
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for antialiased rendering a plurality of pixels in a computer system. The method and system comprise providing a fixed storage area and providing a plurality of sequential format levels for the plurality of pixels within the fixed storage area. The plurality of format levels represent pixels with varying degrees of complexity in subpixel geometry visible within the pixel. A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides at least the following format levels: one-fragment format, used when one surface fully covers a pixel; two-fragment format, used when two surfaces together cover a pixel; and multisample format, used when three or more surfaces cover a pixel. The method and system further comprise storing the plurality of pixels at a lowest appropriate format level within the fixed storage area, so that a minimum amount of data is transferred to and from the fixed storage area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Steven E. Molnar, David B. Kirk, John Stephen Montrym, Douglas A. Voorhies
  • Patent number: 8692845
    Abstract: Operating a switchable head-mounted display apparatus includes: providing a head-mounted display that includes a switchable viewing area that switches between a transparent state and an information display state; operating the head-mounted display in the information viewing state to display image-sequence information; analyzing the image-sequence information to produce a signal estimating the propensity of the image-sequence information to induce motion sickness or symptoms of motion sickness in the user; and modifying the image-sequence information or the state of at least a portion of the switchable viewing area in response to the signal to reduce the propensity of the image-sequence information to induce motion sickness or symptoms of motion sickness in the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Elena A. Fedorovskaya, Ronald S. Cok, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 8692846
    Abstract: Evaluation and an area to which the evaluation is added are identified in an image, and the image is processed based on a rule for processing the image and the identified evaluation and area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoko Yamamoto, Tsutomu Inose
  • Patent number: 8692847
    Abstract: Among other things, methods, systems and computer program products for applying an image adjustment to an image. A choice of image adjustments is presented to a user of a data processing device. A user selection is received from among the choice of image adjustments at least one image adjustment that a user desires to apply to an area of interest of the image. The user selected image adjustment is applied to an entirety of an image. A preview of the user selected image adjustment applied to the entirety of the image is displayed. Also, user input comprising user selection of a brushing application is received. The user selected image adjustment is applied to the area of interest of the image and a remainder of the image is restored to a pre-adjustment state using the user selection of the brushing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nikhil Bhatt, Mark Lee Kawano
  • Patent number: 8692848
    Abstract: A method and system are provided in which one or more processors and/or circuits are operable to generate position information for a plurality of primitives utilizing a coordinate shader, one or more lists based on the generated position information, and rendering information for the plurality of primitives utilizing a vertex shader and the generated one or more lists. The generated one or more lists may comprise indices associated with one or more primitives from the plurality of primitives and with one or more tiles from a plurality of tiles in a screen plane. The position information and the one or more lists may be generated during a first rendering phase, and the rendering information may be generated during a second rendering phase different from the first rendering phase. The coordinate shader may perform a subset of the operations supported by the vertex shader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: James Adams, Gary Keall, Eben Upton, Giles Edkins
  • Patent number: 8692849
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for layer-based panoramic image blending, adjustment and editing. A panoramic image mechanism may provide the automated generation of a panoramic image from a set of input images. The panoramic image may be generated, organized and persisted as a set or stack of component layers, which enables manual modification of the component layers to optimize the panoramic image. The panoramic image mechanism may include scripts and associated user interface mechanisms that automate the generation of a panoramic image and that may provide users access to the adjustment and edit mechanisms, and that thus enable users to retouch the automatically-generated panoramic images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: John W. Peterson
  • Patent number: 8692851
    Abstract: A method includes: displaying a first 2-D array of a plurality of user interface components on the display in a portrait orientation; detecting rotation of the display from the portrait orientation to a landscape orientation with one or more accelerometers; and, in response to detecting the rotation: rotating the first 2-D array of the plurality of user interface components on the display about an axis that is normal to a front surface of the display; replacing the first 2-D array with a second 2-D array of the plurality of user interface components on the display after the rotation of the first 2-D array exceeds a predefined condition; and rotating the second 2-D array of the plurality of user interface components on the display until the second 2-D array of the plurality of user interface components is in the landscape orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Ording, Joshua H. Shaffer, Eliza Carey Block